Surgical · General

82306

Blood test measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the main circulating form used to assess a patient's overall vitamin D status.

3 sources ↓

Medicare
$0.00
Work RVU
0
Global, days
Region
General
Drawn from CMS

Documentation requirements

What must appear in the operative or office note to support the claim.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 3 cited references ↓

  • Covered diagnosis, such as osteoporosis, fragility fracture, nonunion, or malabsorption
  • Reason for testing tied to treatment
  • Date of last vitamin D level
  • Current supplementation dose if retesting
  • Plan based on the result

Applicable modifiers

Modifiers commonly billed with this code.

Source · AMA CPT modifier descriptors · CMS NCCI Policy Manual

What this code covers

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 3 cited references ↓

Orthopedics orders the 25-hydroxy vitamin D level after fragility fractures, for fracture nonunion or delayed union, before spine fusion in patients at risk for poor bone healing, and in osteoporosis workups. It is the right test for vitamin D status in almost every ortho situation.

Medicare contractors have coverage policies that limit vitamin D testing to listed diagnoses, such as osteoporosis, osteomalacia, malabsorption, chronic kidney disease, and certain fracture conditions. Routine screening of healthy patients is not covered. Use the most specific diagnosis available: the fracture, the nonunion, or the osteoporosis code, not a general deficiency or fatigue code.

Frequency matters too. Repeat testing to check a response to supplementation is usually allowed, but not every few weeks. Do not confuse 82306 with 82652, which is the 1,25-dihydroxy form and is rarely the right test for an ortho question. The lab bills it under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule.

RVU & reimbursement

Component RVUs and Medicare national rate. Actual payment varies by GPCI locality.

Source · CMS Physician Fee Schedule, RVU26A · January 2026

Work RVU 0
Practice expense RVU 0
Malpractice RVU 0
Total RVU 0
Medicare national rate $0.00
Global period days

Payment by site of service

Medicare pays different rates by setting. HOPD typically pays substantially more than ASC for the same procedure.

Source · CMS OPPS Addendum B·ASC HCPCS payment rates·2026

SettingMedicare rate (national)
Office (PFS non-facility)
Procedure performed in physician's office
$0.00

Common denial reasons

The recurring reasons claims for CPT 82306 get rejected.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in CMS NCCI edits, AAOS coding appeals, and cited references ↓

  • Diagnosis not on the payer's covered list
  • Routine screening in an asymptomatic patient
  • Repeat test sooner than the policy allows
  • Ordered as 82652 when 82306 was intended, or the reverse
  • Both 82306 and 82652 ordered without separate justification

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 3 cited references ↓

01Does Medicare cover vitamin D testing after a fracture?
Many Medicare contractor policies cover it for osteoporosis and certain fracture-related diagnoses. Routine screening is not covered.
02What is the difference between 82306 and 82652?
82306 measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the standard status test. 82652 measures the 1,25-dihydroxy form, used in specific kidney and calcium disorders.
03How often can vitamin D be retested?
It depends on the payer policy, but retesting is usually limited to checking response to treatment after several months.

Sources & references

Editorial content was developed using the following public sources.

  1. 01CMS Physician Fee Schedule 2026
  2. 02
    cms.gov
    https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/clinical-laboratory-fee-schedule-clfs
  3. 03
    cms.gov
    https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/search.aspx

Mira Scribe

Mira Scribe records the fracture type, healing concerns, and bone health history in the note, which supports a vitamin D order under coverage policies.

See how Mira captures CPT 82306 documentation

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